


Un Peu D'amour, un Brin de Miel

by Emma_Cresswell



Series: Et Je Danse [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Ballet, F/M, Piano, San Francisco (setting), kind of a much ado about nothing styled plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 11:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12035052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_Cresswell/pseuds/Emma_Cresswell
Summary: In which Cosette the ballerina falls for Marius the pianist.





	Un Peu D'amour, un Brin de Miel

**Author's Note:**

> Like, why aren't there more ballet aus in the les mis fandom?? Like, what the heck??  
> So yeah, that's how this fic came to be. I've been working on it for a while, and it's my first strictly Cosette/Marius fic. I do feel it's a little ooc, but I actually kind of like it. It's nice to see the roles somewhat reversed for a change. But I hope my dear readers find it amusing ;)  
> Song title from Indila's "Derniere Danse"  
> Disclaimer: Don't own Les Mis.

The first time she sees him, it's a frigid January morning. He's talking to Éponine, which is how he caught her gaze. A young man, in his early twenties at the most. Tousled locks of auburn hair that messily stick out in every which way, a large gray coat covering his wiry figure. He clutches a thick folder close to his side, as if he doesn't want to lose it. And, even though he's in the front of the studio and Cosette is in the far back, she can still make out the gentleness in his green eyes.  
She cranes her neck to peek over the other ballerinas, trying to catch a glimpse of Éponine's charming friend. She sees the pair wrap up their conversation before Éponine gives the stranger a quick embrace and then quickly sashays over to where Cosette is standing.  
Cosette inquires as to who the charming stranger was. Éponine tells her that it's her close friend, Marius.  
"Marius," she quietly repeats to herself as she watches him leave. But, shaking off the blooming feeling of infatuation, she leans over and begins her warmup stretches.

* * *

  
The next time she sees him, she just so happens to literally run into him. It's another moment of chaotic class-switching. Cosette is so focused on getting to her next dance class that she doesn't see him until their both on the floor and the papers from his folder are in the air.  
"I'm so sorry," she apologizes, quickly sitting up and gathering a few of the loose sheets of paper.  
"No, it's my fault," he says, his voice quiet and timid. "I wasn't looking where I was going."  
"That makes two of us."  
He looks at her with a thoughtful gaze, and Cosette suddenly becomes very embarrassed. She wears nothing but a leotard and a pair of tights, her blond hair is tossed into a messy bun, and her skin is coated in a thick layer of sweat. Never before has she been self conscious of her ballet look. But sitting in front of Marius, she wishes she was in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  
But, despite her post-workout look, he gives her a warm smile. She gratefully returns it won't a smile of her own, as well as the stack of papers she gathered.  
"Pianist?" She queries as she passes the papers back to him, noting that it is sheet music.  
He nods. "I'm a part of the city orchestra."  
"You must be very good, then."  
"No. I just practice a lot."  
She laughs and he smiles. But then his green eyes dart the clock hanging above them. "Well, I need to go."  
"Me too," she says, accepting the hand he offers as she stands.  
He asks for her name, and she obliges. He gives a large smile. "Nice to meet you, Cosette. I'm Marius."  
She mirrors the statement and then watches as he leaves, her hand still tingling from where he held it. She feels light and giddy for the remainder of rehearsal, though she can't imagine why.

* * *

  
It's a few more weeks before she sees him again. And, thankfully, this time she is wearing street clothes when they meet up.  
She emerges from the bathroom after a late night dance rehearsal. Her pointe shoes and leotard are tucked away in her bag. Now she wears a simple dress, and her hair cascades in loose, blond waves down her back. As soon as she exits the restroom, she sees him sitting in the waiting room chair.  
He's engrossed in his folder of music, quietly thumbing trough it. He doesn't notice Cosette until she offers a greeting. It is then that he looks up at her.  
He'a clearly a bit flustered as he stands from his chair and mirrors her greeting with a handshake. But he's smiling his gentle smile, and Cosette can't help but smile back.  
It is then that Éponine appears.  
Her eyes dart between the two of them, her gaze catching on their entwined hands. But she merely shrugs as she walks up the pair.  
"You ready to go?" She asks, turning to Marius.  
"Whenever you are," he says, his hand slipping from Cosette's grasp. "It was nice seeing you, Cosette."  
She doesn't say anything as the pair walks away. Éponine links her arm though Marius's. He whispers something to her, and Cosette can hear Éponine's laughter even as the exit the building. Marius smiles at Éponine. That same smile that he offered Cosette only a few moments before.  
Cosette can almost hear her heart tear as she watches them. Of course, it would make sense for Éponine and Marius to be together. And Éponine had mentioned that they were close friends. Besides, Cosette had only talked to him a few times before. Everything she had felt towards him was the result of a schoolgirl crush.  
But that doesn't stop the fact that she blinks back tears as she leaves.

* * *

  
Cosette talks to Éponine as if nothing had ever happened. Though even she can't ignore the small sting of envy that overcomes her. But, she just carries on, going through everyday life.  
It's a few more weeks before she sees him again. This time, it's at a rehearsal for the upcoming production of Swan Lake. She's doing a sauté arabesque when her eyes glance over and see him watching her from the waiting room.  
Her heart seems to skip a beat and she almost trips as goes into her pirouette. But she manages to regain her composure and finish the routine. Shortly thereafter, the class ends.  
Cosette takes her time exiting the class. She meticulously takes off her pointe shoes, trying her hardest to go as slowly as possible with undoing the adhesive tape wrapped around her toes. But Marius is still outside in the waiting room once she finishes. Sighing, she shoulders her dance bag and walks into the waiting room.  
"Hi," he says, greeting her as soon as he sees her.  
"Hi," she replies.  
"We seem to keep running into each other."  
"Well, I do practically live here," she says. "Just trying to pass the time before ballet auditions start opening up. So I have rehearsal most of the day...though I can't imagine why a pianist is here so often."  
"My aunt runs the studio."  
Cosette raises an eyebrow at that. "You're aunt is Madame Gillenormand?"  
"The one and only. There's not much money in being a pianist, so I help here when I can. And, in return, I have a place to stay and a promise that I wont be disowned by my crazy family."  
She laughs. "But Madame Gillenormand is sweet."  
"Only if you're a ballerina. You should see how she gushes over my cousin," Marius shakes his head. "Professional Danseur for the San Francisco Ballet. The pride and joy of my family."  
She gives him a sympathetic look. Besides her father, she has no family to call her own, so she can't say she relates to Marius's predicament. But upon seeing Marius's downtrodden expression, she forgets that he has a girlfriend and that she's supposed to stay away from him. She puts a reassuring hand on his arm and he looks into her eyes.  
"Well, you're an accomplished pianist," she says. "So if your family doesn't think you're good enough, then their opinion doesn't matter."  
He gives her a weak smile, but it's enough to make her heart lift. And then, he looks down at his watch and frowns. "I have to go. Rehearsal. I guess I'll see you later."  
"Yeah," she says, trying to push down the feeling of disappointment that creeps up on her.  
They say their farewells and then part ways.

* * *

  
"Would you like to come to the orchestra's next concert?" He asks her one day after she's changed into her street clothes. She had exited the bathroom to stumble upon the scene of Marius and Éponine. But just as she was about to back away, Éponine waved goodbye and Marius approached her.  
They exchanged some idle chit chat before Marius popped the question on her. And, honestly, she's a bit surprised by the invitation. But, she's equally thrilled by it. "I'd love to. When is it?"  
"Friday. Seven o'clock."  
She bites the edge of her lip as she contemplates his proposal. She has rehearsal up until six-thirty. But perhaps she could just throw on a dress over her leotard and tights and rush over. After all, she really wants to see Marius play. "I think I can make that. Do you mind texting me the details?"  
He agrees and they exchange numbers. After that, he once again waves goodbye, and Cosette makes the lonely walk to her car. But as she throws her ballet bag in the back seat of her Honda Civic, her phone chimes. She looks down to see that Marius has sent her a smiley face emoji.  
She herself is smiling as she answers the text with a laughing emoji.  
It appears she's not going to get much done for the rest of the evening.

* * *

  
She sits alone at the concert. Her father had offered to come, but she knew that he would probably unintentionally ask a thousand questions about Marius. So, she goes alone.  
The concert, of course, is beautiful. The orchestra's music gives her a giddy feeling that she only feels during ballet. And, though he's supposed to only be accompaniment, Cosette can hear Marius's piano playing over the roar of strings and rush of winds.  
After the show, Cosette hangs around the entrance of backstage to wait for Marius. When he finally emerges, she can't help herself and throws her arms around him in an embrace.  
"That was amazing," she tells him as she pulls away.  
He blushes and fidgets with his tuxedo's vest. "I don't know about 'amazing,' but thank you."  
She giggles and pulls him in for another hug. It is then that she notices Éponine walking towards them and Cosette quickly pulls away.  
"Hi Éponine," Cosette squeaks out, beginning to blush scarlet.  
"Cosette," Éponine greets coldly.  
"Éponine! You made it," Marius exclaims cheerfully, either oblivious of the tension between the girls or choosing to ignore it.  
"So I did," Éponine says, her dark gaze glancing between Cosette and Marius.  
They stand there for a few awkward seconds until Cosette can't bear the silence any longer. "Well, I have to go," Cosette says, turning away from Marius and Éponine. "I guess I'll see you guys later."  
Marius offers a reluctant goodbye, but Éponine barely gives a nod in Cosette's direction. Cosette rushes out of the concert hall with hot tears starting to drip down her cheeks.

* * *

Éponine doesn't talk to Cosette after that night. That's fine with Cosette, really. They just go about dance rehearsal pretending the other one doesn't exist. Deep down, Cosette knows she should reconcile with her friend, or at least talk it out with her. But pride gets the better of her and she ends up chickening out every time she goes to talk to Éponine.  
She also doesn't see Marius after that night, which is probably for the better. He's tried texting and calling her. But she deletes the texts and lets the calls go to voicemail. She may be a naive girl, but she does know that stealing Marius away from Éponine is cruel. She should just be happy for the couple.  
But that doesn't stop her heart from skipping a beat when she sees Marius a week later.  
He's sitting behind the receptionist desk, writing something down. And Cosette can't help but notice how frazzled he looks. His hair is extra tousled, there are dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes don't match at all. Cosette suddenly has the desire to embrace him and ask what's wrong.  
But she can't. She has the temptation to just turn around and march out of the studio. Play sick and spend the day at home. But Swan Lake is next week and Cosette has to be at rehearsal. So, she straightens her posture and walks past Marius, praying that he doesn't notice her.  
He does.  
"Cosette," he calls to her, but she pretends she doesn't hear. It isn't until he grabs Cosette's arm in an attempt to slow her down that she acknowledges him.  
"What?" she snaps, and he recoils.  
"Is something wrong?" He asks, brushing aside Cosette's rude behavior. "You don't look so well."  
"I could say the same for you."  
Marius looks away. "Theodule's in the hospital."  
Cosette blinks. "Your cousin?"  
Marius nods. "I don't really know what...a dance injury. You'd probably know what it is if you heard it. Some torn muscle or other. Anyway, he's out for the season. Maybe longer."  
Cosette softens a little. "I'm sorry, Marius. That's rough."  
"I'm just missing rehearsal for a few days so I can keep stuff going around here. My aunt's tending to him for awhile until he can come home."  
Despite everything, Cosette feels herself sympathizing for Marius. It appears he's faded into the background once again, forced out of the spotlight by his own family.  
"I was hoping I'd see you here," Marius continues. "I really needed something good in my day."  
Cosette looks down, ashamed. "Marius...we can't do this."  
"Do what?"  
"We can't...we can't be together."  
Marius quirks an eyebrow in confusion. "Why not?"  
"You're with Éponine."  
He laughs. "No I'm not."  
That irks Cosette. "Well she seems to think you are, so if you're not going to be with her, you might as well end it instead of leading her on."  
Marius frowns (and Cosette can't help but feel that the look doesn't suit him). "I'm not leading her on. Éponine and I have talked about this before. We're only friends."  
Somehow, this makes Cosette angrier. "Marius, she clearly thinks you're more than friends. Maybe if you weren't so busy with you're own problems, you would've noticed by now."  
He flinches and Cosette immediately regrets what she said. But there's no turning back now. She shakes her head as she turns away. "I have to go. Rehearsal starts in a few minutes."  
He doesn't try to stop her as she walks away.

* * *

  
The last thing Cosette expects is for Éponine to approach her during their warm up routine. But she does.  
Cosette just so happens to be doing her usual barre stretches when Éponine sashays up on demi pointe. "Hey Cosette."  
"Oh. Hi Éponine," Cosette says, feigning nonchalance as best she can.  
"How are you?"  
"I'm okay, I guess. You?"  
"Fine," she pauses. "We need to talk."  
Cosette tenses. "About what?"  
"You know what."  
She sighs and feels a blush creeping up onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Éponine. It wasn't considerate of me to talk to Marius when you clearly have affections for him."  
Despite the sincere apology, Éponine laughs. "'Considerate of you?' Cosette, you really are too precious for this world. No, what I meant by talk was I need to apologize."  
Cosette blinks in surprise. "What?"  
"Well, I've been a bit of jerk to you and you've absolutely nothing to deserve it."  
"I kinda flirted with Marius...and he's your boyfriend. Isn't he?"  
"No. Sadly. Though I've had a thing for him for years now."  
"Then why aren't you guys together?"  
Éponine shrugged, picking at a hole on her worn tights. "He just sees us as friends. It's okay, we had that whole 'determine the relationship' talk and everything and mutually agreed to just stay friends. But I still had a crush on him. And then, you came along and swept him off his feet without even trying. That's why I was such a jerk, I guess. I've been trying to get him to notice me for years and it only took you two minutes."  
"I'm sorry?" Cosette offers, not entirely sure how she's supposed to react to that.  
"No, don't apologize. It's just me and my jealousy that's totally ruining your guys' perfect relationship," Éponine cocked her head thoughtfully. "I have to admit, you guy would make a great couple."  
Cosette shakes her head. "Well, not anymore. I kind of accused Marius of not paying enough attention to you. Of course, that was when I thought you guys were dating..."  
"Oh boy, that's quite the predicament. How are you going to get out of that one?" She shrugged. "I really don't know. I'm not sure he wants to talk to me anymore."  
"Trust me, Cosette. He's head over heels for you. Absolutely enamored. Just text him or something. Invite him to Swan Lake."  
"I don't know..."  
"Do it. If it counts for anything, I want you guys to be together. I think you're better suited for Marius than I could ever be."  
Cosette gave a small laugh. "Over your crush that fast, huh?'  
Éponine smiled slyly. "I've had some help."  
"Really?" Cosette said, suddenly feeling excited for her friend. "Is he cute?"  
"Yeah..." Éponine admitted, blushing slightly.  
"Who is he?"  
"A blonde violinist. A part of the same orchestra as Marius, as it turns out."  
"Oh, Éponine, that's wonderful!"  
Éponine shrugged. "I'll admit, I'm the happiest I've been in a long time...I never thought a happy ending could feel this good."  
"I'm glad."  
Éponine smiled and gave Cosette a playful nudge. "Well, now that I've found my happy ending, it's time you found yours."  
Cosette sighed. She certainly hoped she would find hers soon.

* * *

  
Cosette didn't see Marius at all during the week leading up to Swan Lake. He wasn't at the dance studio at all, though Madame Gillenormand was, which meant Theodule was out of the hospital at least. She tried to call him, but found that she couldn't do it. She would get as far as manually dialing his number, her thumb hovering over the call button. But, for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Maybe it's because Marius deserved a face-to-face apology rather than a shameful over-the-phone one.  
So, she spends the following week feeling guilty and looking for Marius. She just assumes that she'll see him when Madame Gillenormand needs help around the studio again. Which probably won't be for another few weeks.  
It isn't until the night of Swan Lake that the unexpected happens.  
Cosette just happens to be helping a younger girl with her makeup when Éponine bursts into the dressing room, beckoning Cosette to come.  
"What is it?" Cosette asks, worried that something's wrong.  
Éponine merely shakes her head as she leads her friend through the pandemonium of half dressed ballerinas and stern instructors. Éponine leads her all the way up to the wings of the stage where she motions for Cosette to peek through a crack in the curtain. Reluctantly, she complies.  
And that's when she sees him. By himself in the front row, timidly hunched over the program in his lap.  
Cosette feels lightheaded as she takes a step back from the curtain. "He's here?"  
"Cosette Fauchelevent, don't you dare pass out now. The show starts in half an hour."  
She shakes her head. "But...he's here."  
"So? Dance your heart out and then profess your love for him after the show. Don't panic right now."  
"What am I going to say to him?"  
"How about, 'I'm sorry and I love you?' Think of something later, okay? We have to finish the girls' makeup."  
Cosette pauses. "Why is he here?"  
"I may or may not have called him and explained everything."  
"Éponine!"  
"Hey, I'm just trying to help fix the mess I helped create."  
Cosette once again peeks around the curtain to see Marius still sitting there, unaware that he's being talked about.  
"Okay, enough admiring. We have a show to put on," Éponine says, grabbing Cosette's wrist and dragging her away from the stage edge. "You can talk it out later."  
Cosette complies, following Éponine away from the stage. But her mind is still focused on Marius.

* * *

  
Cosette tries to dance as if Marius weren't there. It helps that the stage lights are so blinding that she can't see anyone in the audience. But, then again, it doesn't help that she knows he's right there in front of her.  
She does, however, gave the ballet her all, performing each routine perfectly. She puts her heart into the dance, and it's worth it when she hears the thunderous roar of applause at the end. She can barely make out Marius giving them a standing ovation through the bright stage lights.  
When the performance is over, Éponine grabs Cosette's hand and leads her past the dressing room and out to main room of the concert hall.  
"Shouldn't I at least dress first?" Cosette asks, noticing a few patrons looking their swan-maiden costumes over.  
"No more excuses," Éponine says. "Remember--"  
"Happy ending," Cosette finishes.  
They find Marius standing by the door and he immediately notices their approach. He smiles his charming smile and Cosette can feel her heart melt at the sight of him.  
"Good luck," Éponine says, shoving Cosette towards Marius and then sashaying back to the dressing rooms.  
"Hey," Marius says, standing there awkwardly with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.  
"Hey," Cosette mirrors, brushing a hand over her blond, gelled bun.  
"You were remarkable up there."  
"Thank you."  
A beat of awkward silence.  
Marius looks down at his shoes. "I'm sorry."  
"Me too."  
"I know I wasn't really being fair to your or Éponine."  
"Well, I wasn't that nice to you."  
"Can you forgive me?"  
"Only if you forgive me."  
"Done," Marius says, sticking out his hand for a handshake. Cosette disregards his outstretched hand and pulls him into a hug. He immediately returns the embrace, and Cosette can't help but bury her makeup covered face into his shoulder. She didn't realize how much she wanted this until it's finally within her reach.  
They pull away and Cosette lets out a giddy laugh of relief. "So where do we go from here?"  
"Well...maybe I should take you on a proper date? Late night ice cream?"  
"Sounds wonderful," Cosette says through a genuine smile. She pauses before proceeding. "I think I'm in love with you."  
"I think I'm in love with you too."  
Marius smiles his charming smile and Cosette can't resist anymore. She stands en pointe and kisses Marius as hard as she can, throwing her arms around his neck. He's surprised by the sudden show of affection...but he doesn't pull away. Instead, he wraps his arms around her waist and returns the kiss with equal vigor.

Éponine was right. Happy endings did feel good. 

**Author's Note:**

> All of my knowledge of ballet came from my previous ten years of dance experience and the internet. However, I trained in jazz, not ballet. And I only witnessed the ballerinas rehearsing from afar. Therefore, if you are a ballerina/danseur and notice any terrible mistakes, please let me know! I want to be as accurate as possible and will gladly fix any mistakes that have been made.  
> I have a sequelish fic planned out (same story, but from Eponine's perspective). I think it's actually a bit more fleshed out and flows better than this story as of right now, so hopefully I can put that up within a week or so!  
> Thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos are always much appreciated!


End file.
